Genoa goalkeeper Josep Martinez has been the starter for the Italian side since their promotion campaign last season, and already has played in five different divisions across three countries at the age of 25. But he has referenced La Masia as the place he grew into a professional.
Martinez, originally from Alzira on the East Coast of Spain, moved to La Masia as a teenager and made it as far as Barca Atletic, before moving to Las Palmas and then RB Leipzig. After two years as a back-up in Germany, he joined Genoa.
“It was really what changed my professional career. For me it was the biggest leap I made in my entire professional career, because I played for a team in a small town in Valencia and from there I went to Barcelona. It was two years of a lot of learning. I think it was the biggest change in my life. I really learned a lot of things in the end at La Masia,” Martinez told EuroFoot.
“From finding your own life because you’re on your own and in terms of your performance as a goalkeeper, you really learn a lot because there are great coaches there, there’s a lot of quality and you have to improve to be at the same level as your teammates and compete with them.
I mean, for me it was fundamental, as I said before, in my development, as a goalkeeper, I think I had great teammates, great competitions and that makes you grow as well.”
🚨🇪🇸 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋 | Josep Martínez: "I have played with some very good players, but I can tell you the player I liked the most was Christopher Nkunku, who's now at Chelsea."
Martínez was at Barcelona for 2 years also. Big words for Nkunku. 🌟📈 pic.twitter.com/PZJZ2Z9fxB
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 6, 2024
However he still as a modicum of affection for Los Che, his boyhood club. Since, he has taken a shine to two of La Liga’s present day top shot-stoppers.
“When I was a kid I was always a Valencia fan. I liked [Santi] Canizares a lot when I was little. Then I’ve been looking at Casillas, then I also liked De Gea a lot and nowadays I could say Ter Stegen, Neuer are great goalkeepers. Courtois, as well. Idol or role model? Well, we could say to go through the German school a little bit, Neuer and Ter Stegen have been an inspiration. I think for the vast majority of goalkeepers of my generation really.”
Martinez has been enjoying a strong season with Genoa, who after making it back up from Serie B are comfortably sat in 12th place this season. He also admits that he still feels the Spanish game is best-suited to his style of goalkeeping, and that one day he aims to pull on the national team shirt of La Roja, calling it ‘the most beautiful thing that can happen to a player’.
